Sign Offs

Tracey Friesen, on Jan. 6, of cancer. After graduating from Ryerson University’s Bachelor of Applied Arts, Radio & Television program in 1990, and later a Liberal Arts degree from Simon Fraser University, Friesen started her career with Vancouver-headquartered Rainmaker Digital Effects as a VFX producer and later Director of Sales & Industry Relations. From there, she joined the National Film Board (NFB) as an Executive Producer for nearly 12 years, earning credits on nearly 40 projects, including award-winning films “Being Caribou,” “ScaredSacred” and “Shameless: The ART of Disability.” In 2014, Friesen detoured into radio, joining Vancouver’s Roundhouse Radio as Director of Programming. She concurrently founded non-profit Story Money Impact, offering mentorship and coaching for documentary development from under-represented creators. After a stint as Director of Communications & Engagement for the David Suzuki Foundation, Friesen went on to join the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) in 2020 as Managing Vice President of the CMPA BC Branch. While at the CMPA, Friesen championed many sustainability initiatives and was the inaugural staff lead on the CMPA’s Sustainability and Climate Action Committee. In 2013, Women in Film & Television Vancouver named Friesen “Woman of the Year.” Read more here.

David Lewis George, 84, on Jan. 2. Born in Corner Brook, NL, George attended the University of New Brunswick (UNB), before graduating from Ryerson University as a Certified Engineering Technologist. He started his career in the early 1960s at CJON (NTV) St. John’s, before moving his family to Toronto where he led consulting group, Imagineering Limited. George went on to help launch the Global Television Network as its Chief Engineer. Involved in key projects around the globe, he served as president of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) in the 1990s and was named a Life Fellow of the organization. He was also an avid Ham Radio Operator, with V0IDS and VE3EU two of his long-time call signs. 

Lezlie Robinson, 66, on Dec. 31. Robinson had a diverse career that spanned modeling professionally in Canada and the U.S, being part of the CFL Montreal Alouettes cheerleading squad, and acting, among other pursuits. Best known to Montreal audiences as a TV and radio personality, Robinson was a former traffic reporter for CJAD 800 and CHOM, in addition to stints with CFCF AM and CFQR 92.5. She also took on voiceover work, including narrating the Just for Laughs television series and specials.

John Carter, 72, on Dec. 24. Carter began his radio career in Lloydminster, with a stop as Music Director at CFCN Calgary to follow, before he landed in Medicine Hat. Carter hosted the morning show at the original 1340 CJCY under Monarch Broadcasting and then Pattison Media. He left radio to work as a realtor and later owned a restaurant in Medicine Hat, before returning to radio when Clear Sky launched 102.1 CJCY-FM in 2011. Shortly thereafter, he was paired with Steve Krysak on “Mornings with John and Steve.” The show was an immediate hit and ultimately ran for over 13 years, right up until Carter’s passing, surviving through Rogers Sports & Media’s purchase of CJCY in 2018 and the station’s rebrand as 102.1 JACK-FM. Carter had been off for the past month with an illness and had hoped to return to work in the New Year. Krysak wrote in a post to social media that “for the last 13 years, John wasn’t just a mentor—he was a source of wisdom, humor, and endless entertainment. On air, we often sounded like a bickering married couple, but beneath the banter was a deep respect and an unshakable bond. John’s larger-than-life personality and wit made him a cherished voice in Medicine Hat and beyond. He had a way of touching lives through a story and laughter. He will be deeply missed by me, by our listeners, and by the countless people fortunate enough to have crossed paths with him. Medicine Hat has lost a legend, and I have lost a dear friend.”

David Farrell, 73, on Dec. 19. Born on Vancouver Island, Farrell – the son of two journalists – started his career in the late 1960s, inspired after a backstage experience following a The Who show at The Rockpile in Toronto. That led to syndicated segments with CHUM Radio and newspapers across the country. He went on to become the Billboard correspondent for Canada. Following the closure of trade industry weekly, RPM, in the early 1980s, Farrell started The Record, a go-to for chart information. He navigated the music industry’s upheaval through the digital age, before advertisers dried up. The Record employed a staff of eight full-time, before it was shuttered in 2001 after a 20-year run. Broadcasting executive Gary Slaight underwrote Farrell’s next venture, FYI Music News, which covered the Canadian music industry for 15 years, starting in 2008. The publication’s archive remains accessible via Billboard Canada, which acquired FYI Music News last year, with Farrell staying on as a contributor. Farrell was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award during Canadian Music Week (CMW) in June, recognizing his more than five-decade career covering the music and broadcast industry. He had previously been inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame at Canadian Music Week (CMW). Read more here.

Alden Habacon, 50, on Dec. 2, following a tragic accident in Hawaii. After pursuing graphic arts at Ryerson and later completing his Bachelor’s degree in Visual Fine Arts at Simon Fraser University, Habacon worked at Asian Canadian arts publication, RicePaper Magazine, and later founded Schema Magazine in 2004, which focused on pop-culture and identity. A co-founder of the Asian Canadian Journalists Association, Habacon joined CBC Vancouver in 2010 as Manager of Diversity Initiatives & Partnership Manager, managing the national diversity and inclusion portfolio for CBC TV and coordinating the implementation of over 300 diversity initiatives across the country. He went on to spend 14 years working with UBC as the Senior Advisor for Intercultural Understanding. In 2019, he founded Inclusive Excellence Strategy Solutions (IESS), a diversity & inclusion consulting company. Habacon was recognized in 2010 by the YMCA of Greater Vancouver as the Power of Peace Award winner, and the 2011 NAAAP Vancouver leadership honouree for his work in supporting diversity and community service. In 2012, he was recognized with the Maharlika Award in Leadership by the Filipino Canadian Cultural Heritage Society of BC, and in the same year, was a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal Award recipient.

Broadcast Dialogue remembers Broadcasters We Lost in 2024. Find a compilation of our Sign Offs columns from the past year here.